NH State Senate: Jeb Bradley Lowers His Sights

Another sign of the tough economic times: Jeb Bradley will be happy if he can get a job that pays a fraction of what his ...

Another sign of the tough economic times: Jeb Bradley will be happy if he can get a job that pays a fraction of what his old one did.

Bradley, a Republican, is a former New Hampshire congressman who was defeated by little-known activist Carol Shea-Porter in one of the biggest upsets of 2006. Bradley tried for his old seat last year, but lost again. So, now he's setting his sights lower -- on a state Senate seat.

Bradley is running in a special election on Tuesday to replace William Denley, a Republican who resigned weeks into his first term after being charged with a DWI. Bradley's opponent will be Bud Martin, a former district court judge who took 49% of the vote when he ran against Denley in November.

Bradley favors steep across-the-board cuts to balance the budget, while
Martin said he'd prefer a broader reconsideration of how the state
collects and spends money. Martin indicated he'd back gay marriage and
repealing the death penalty, two measures passed by the House last
month and headed to the Senate. Bradley said he opposes both ideas.
Martin supports a mandatory seat belt law. Bradley opposes one.

The race is also shaping up as the first
major test of the state Republican Party's new leadership under former
governor John Sununu, who took over as chairman in January. Republicans
have had a lock on the district for decades, but Democrats say they are
encouraged by recent gains in voter registration and electoral success
in the district. In last year's congressional election, Democrat Carol
Shea-Porter won a majority of votes in the district, which includes
Brookfield, Chatham, Conway, Eaton, Effingham, Farmington, Freedom,
Madison, Middleton, Milton, Moultonboro, Ossipee, Sandwich, Tamworth,
Tuftonboro, Wakefield and Wolfeboro.

Bradley clearly isn't doing this for the money. Members of Congress are
paid $174,000 a year. New Hampshire legislators are paid $200 per two-year term, with
no per diems.